1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to concrete blocks used for constructing readily and inexpensively angled or straight walls for buildings and the like.
2. Description of the Background Art
Historically, man has created structures from masonary blocks. This form of building traces its ancestry from the earliest structures which were piles of rock to contemporary cut stone systems and from sun baked brick to the contemporary trend of utilizing kin fired bricks and cast cement blocks.
Representative construction blocks are described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,936,987; 4,426,176; 4,227,357; 5,058,357 and 5,513,475 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
There are many various building blocks in use today which are manufactured primarily from cementitious materials. Many of these blocks have been developed with configurations having essentially the same outside surface, that is rectangular block. A standard cement block is rectangular in shape and has two openings with a solid web transversing between the two openings. The standard width of said rectangular block being 75/8 inches. The standard length of said rectangular block being 155/8 inches. The standard width of said web portion of said rectangular block being 1 inch. The standard wall thickness of said rectangular block being 11/4 inches.
Concrete rectangular blocks are the chosen form of building material due to their cost. In fact, the only building material which is lower in cost is wood. However, wood frame construction is not as sturdy as the block construction. Furthermore, the wooden structure is prone to fire and insect damage and it requires constant maintenance to prevent deterioration.
Presently, when rectangular cement blocks are used to fabricate walls, the aesthetics of the wall leave much to be desired, in that essentially only a straight linear wall with a vertical surface is created. Generally, only 90.degree. corners can be used if a turn in the wall is required. Other walls of various angles can be constructed by cutting the corners of the rectangular block to match the desired angle. However, this technique is very time consuming in that it requires a skilled mason to cut each and every block at the desired angle. In addition, boards must be accurately placed against the cut blocks to allow the cut cement block to be back filled with poured concrete.
It is well known that structures utilizing masonary techniques have become increasingly costly due to the labor and energy involved in construction. Masonary items such as brick, cut stone or concrete block require skilled masons to lay up the building blocks. These skilled masons are costly due to the amount of time it may take to properly lay up the building materials to acquire the final aesthetic style.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the concrete block art.
In view of the obvious shortcomings of the various contemporary building methods, it is an object of this invention to provide a building block which may be laid up in a shorter period of time by a skilled mason thereby allowing a cost savings.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a multifaceted shaped concrete block as an integral unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block as an integral unit.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block as an integral unit having side portions of equal length and wherein said side portions are positioned at an angle of 135 degrees to each other.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block that is cast as an integral unit allowing standard concrete blocks to be adjoined to said octagonal block at angles of 0.degree., 45.degree., 90.degree., 135.degree., 180.degree., 225.degree., 270.degree., and 315.degree..
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block that is cast as an integral unit and thereafter can be quickly and accurately broken to produce side wall angles of 45.degree., 90.degree., 135.degree., and 180.degree. for an improved aesthetic appearance of walls that are attached to said octagonal block.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block that is cast as an integral unit having a uniform wall thickness throughout.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an octagonal shaped concrete block that is cast as an integral unit having at least one break away point to allow a skilled mason to quickly and accurately break away the desired part of the octagonal block to produce the desired aesthetic angle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming an octagonal building block, comprising:
providing a block forming mold with a bottom, side and external walls; said external walls having an octagonal shape; providing an octagonal shaped internal wall positioned at a fixed distance and matching the angularity of said external walls of said block forming mold; providing a channel integrally connected and positioned between said internal and said external walls; filling said channel of said block forming mold with concrete; allowing said concrete block to harden into a concrete block; separating said channel, said interior walls and said exterior walls from the concrete block. PA1 first through eighth external side portions respectively connected end-to-end to define an octagonal shape with respective first through eighth corners; a transverse chord portion extending from said first corner to said fourth corner; a perpendicular segment portion extending perpendicularly from said transverse chord portion to said third corner defining a right angled cutout; an angled segment portion extending from said second corner to said transverse chord portion defining a triangle cutout; and a middle cutout defined by said triangle cutout, said right angle cutout and said transverse cord portion. PA1 securing an octagonal building block having: first through eighth external side portions respectively connected end-to-end to define an octagonal shape with respective first through eighth corners; a transverse chord portion extending from said first corner to said fourth corner; a perpendicular segment portion extending perpendicularly from said transverse chord portion to said third corner defining a right angled cutout; an angled segment portion extending from said second corner to said transverse chord portion defining a triangle cutout; and a middle cutout defined by said triangle cutout, said right angle cutout and said transverse cord portion; PA1 knocking on the chosen break away point; PA1 removing displaced concrete material to expose the chosen angled exterior surface; PA1 placing a wall or another block against the respective chosen angled exterior surface; and PA1 securing said wall or said block against said respective exposed surface.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an octagonal block comprising:
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.